


A Skeleton named Arial

by ChibiGirl92



Series: Families of the Underground [3]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Other, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-11-24
Packaged: 2018-05-01 16:18:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5212502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChibiGirl92/pseuds/ChibiGirl92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A "What if" Side Ficlet that happens after "Gaster becomes Dadster" and during the time Undertale began.<br/>Sans could not believe the nerve those two would have after what they had done to him and his brother.  But like hell he was going to let this kid suffer the same shit he had to put up with around her age.  Papyrus wasn't even aware they were even alive or existed.  Can the Brothers handle the responsibility a 5 year old child brings?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arial

Sans HATED going into the Underground capital, all it did was bring him bad mojo and memories of what he once called home when he was a tyke.  Hell, he didn't even enjoy bringing Papyrus with him when he insisted.  Tonight he sat at a restaurant, deciding to take a breather for the rest of his time here, since he was ahead of schedule, something even Papyrus notices when they come here.  Tonight was some kind of event going on for the kids in the city, which was curious.  MTT was holding the event, which hey, that wasn't surprising in the slightest.  He heard loud cheers from the crowd, making him look up.  He saw a group of children, all in dresses or skirts, holding what looked like Pompoms, cute.  
  
Though the little monster in front caught his attention, wearing a pink and yellow dress, a large, pink bow on her head, more than like using magic or tape to hold it in place.  That was a Skeleton monster obviously, but he felt a strange familiarity from her.  She had a smiled and her eyes seem to shine brightly with joy.  He didn't even hear the host and what they said, but he heard Bubbly music play now.  The monsters on stage looked to be performing some kind of dance to it, he saw a few stumbles and the like, but for what he assumed were a bunch of 5 year olds, they did really well on it.  He heard claps and small cheers from proud parents.  He looked around for any other Skeletons, in the group of parents, but saw none, strange, maybe they went to the restroom?  
  
"Excuse me, is that little Skeleton girl on stage your niece?" the waiter asked politely when they walked over to him.  
  
"huh? oh the skeleton girl? nah, never seen her before" he responded, thinking maybe he was paying too much attention now.  
  
"just looked familiar to me is all" he wanted to make sure they knew he wasn't some creep who stalked kids... Frisk was human and had the ability to kill others, that was far different.  They looked a little disappointed.  
  
"Shame, her parents never do come when her and her classmates do these little performances, always comes with someone else's family" they said, Sans' eyes widened for a brief second.  That sure sounded familiar to him, having absent parents...  
  
"Huh, what's her name if you don't mind me asking?" now he was curious.  
  
"Arial, pretty name for such a sweetheart" they were smiling now, Sans nodded.  
  
"Thanks"  
  
====  
  
Arial saw the other kids running to the arms of proud parents, she sat on the edge of the backstage.  Nowhere did she see her parents, but that was okay, everyone else enjoyed their show, maybe next time they'd come and love the performance.  The restaurant was starting to file out, she just sat there, they at least told her they would come and pick her up.  The place began to darken now, only the staff here, for the most part.  
  
"Hey Kiddo, waiting for your mom and dad?" Sans asked as he walked backstage, hands in his hoodie pockets.  Arial turned to him, surprised, but smiled.  
  
"Yep! they saided they'd be here but I guesses they got stuck at work, but that's okay! They can always come next time!" she said, full of optimism and enthusiasm.  Sans was reminded of his brother so much it was discomforting, but offered her a smile.  She was smiling back, but then her phone rang, turning it on, she looked at it.  
  
"Oh! It's Papa!" She exclaimed before answering.  
  
"Hi Papa!.. Uh-huh... Yeah...Oh...Right... Okay" with every word her cheerfulness seemed to diminish.   
  
"Okay, I'll see you then, Lo-" she gave a sigh as the phone hung up, Sans frowned, what sort of fuck head of a parent just hangs up on their child?  He saw Arial get up, and get her coat.  
  
"They're not gonna be home or able to get me" she told him softly... They... They were going to make their five year old daughter... Walk home... during the time were less than friendly monsters came out.  Sans held back from scowling at this.  
  
"Hey, I'll walk ya home kid, it's a bit late for kids like you to be out alone" he offered, which made her smile.  
  
"It is really scary" she told him, she had done this before.  Sans got a feeling in his bones, this was too familiar for him.  They began to leave, to get her home.  
  
"So kid, waiter told me you come there often?" Sans asked, seeing Arial nod.  
  
"Uh-huh, Mama and papa tend to be too busy to take me, so a friend takes me instead!" she told him.  As they walked, Sans noticed the route was more than familiar to him than he would want it to be.  The houses, the walk path, Sans shuddered.  
  
"Are you okay Mr...?" she began, before realizing she didn't even know his name.  
  
"sans" he stated, looking around the place.  
  
"Man, I sure don't miss this place" he commented, Arial looked at him curiously.  
  
"you lived here once??"  
  
"Yeah, a house with a foot deep hole in the ground behind the house, used to use it as a make shift kiddie pool with my brother when we were just babybones" he explained.  Arial was staring at him with wide eyes.  
  
"A big big kitchen too? and the stove by the door??? Pink flowers on the wall?" She asked him, okay, NOW Sans was even more uncomfortable.  
  
"Y-Yeah, just like that, what do you live there kid?" He asked.  
  
"Uh-huh!" Sans shook a little, getting the worst feeling now.  
  
"Uhm... Did uhm... the Monsters who lived there before you were born happen to.. Leave by chance?" he stammered out.  She looked to be thinking.  
  
"Mama said her and papa lived there ever since they got married... Why?" she said, seeing Sans hold his head in a hand.  
  
They didn't...  
  
"What's your parents' names kid?"  
  
"Joan and Arno!"  
  
They fucking DID.


	2. Brother to Brother Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has a Heart to Heart with Papyrus over what happened when they were small.

It was just like how he remembered, a familiar coldness, no warmth or love in the slightest. It was dark in the house as well.

"good to see nothing's changed" Sans muttered under his breath, looking around in almost disgust.

"Do you wanna drink Mister Sans?" Arial asked him, going to get a cup for water.

"Nah, I'm fine kid... You going to be okay if I go?" he asked, feeling like he was just abandoning the kid to something dangerous. Arial smiled at him, nodding.

"I'll be okay! I'mma go to bed" she told him.

"Well, I'll leave my number if you need anything kid... Be careful, alright?" Arial nodded as he began to leave, her waving to him.

"Bye-Bye Mister Sans!"

"Seeya Kid" hands in his pockets, Sans left the scene.

====

"GOOD TO SEE YOU ARE HOME FROM YOUR VENTURES INTO THE CAPITAL SANS!" Papyrus' voice boomed the moment Sans walked through the door. Sans was so lost in jumbled thoughts of his discovery that he somehow tuned his brother out by mistake.

"SANS??" Papyrus's face turned into one of mild confusion at his brother. Sans blinked, looking up at his younger brother now.

"hey bro, how's it hangin'?" Papyrus looked suspicious of Sans now, leaning over to look him over, as though to find a hidden truth of sorts somewhere.

"YOU SEEM UNSANS LIKE TONIGHT BROTHER"

"guess you could say i'm sans my attitude today" Sans grinned at his brothers wail of disapproval at the pun. His joy at his brother's mild suffering only lasted a few minutes, before he looked down, lost in thought again.

"BUT HONESTLY BROTHER, YOU SEEM QUITE TROUBLED, DO YOU NEED TO TALK TO THE GREAT PAPYRUS?" Papyrus asked, sitting on the couch and patting at the seat next to him. Biting it back as much as he could, Sans released a hefty sigh, trudging over and plopping down.

"paps... you know how like... everyone doesn't get how mom's our mom?" he could not believe he was going to do this to his brother. He had kept what their parents did secret from Papyrus for as long as he could, but now? His brother was hopefully mature and emotionally stable enough to handle what he was going to tell him.

"WELL OF COURSE, THEY SEEM TO FORGET ADOPTION IS ANOTHER WAY FOR MONSTERS TO BE PARENTS" Papyrus said it as though it were simply fact. Sans' mouth hung open at that, and was about to ask how or when his brother learned about that.

"I AM NOT AS DENSE AS EVERYONE THINKS BROTHER" Papyrus answer was good enough for his brother who rubbed his head now.

"r-right... so... you never like... asked why we were adopted...?"

"I FIGURED OUR PARENTS HAD FALLEN... WHY DO YOU ASK?" Sans tensed up at the question, before he looked down.

"okay papyrus... let me... let me tell you a story bro" Sans saw Papyrus look very interested, before seeing him get more comfortable, as though Sans was going to read Peek a boo with Fluffy Bunny before bed time. Taking a deep breath, Sans began.

"there were two skeletons, one who was barely even a kid, and their sibling who was only made 4 days ago" he started.

"the older Skeleton, a toddler, one day discovered they had the ability to use magic they shouldn't have even have HAD at their age. they decided it would be cool to show their parents, after all, they had heard magic was something monsters should be proud of" Sans saw Papyrus almost beaming, expecting a happy ending.

"DID THE LITTLE SKELETON'S PARENTS PRAISE THEM AND HELP THEM BECOME SOMETHING GREAT?" his question only made it harder for Sans to continue.

"heh..heheh... n-not really bro" Sans managed to choke out, taking a deep breath again.

"they decided to show their parents, by making their baby sibling float around, now the kid didn't know that was dangerous to do, but when their mom saw what they were capable of... well, the lady freaked out so hard she slapped the kid, nearly causing the baby to crash" Papyrus looked horrified, holding a blanket close to him. Sans was giving a weak chuckle, even with their age and the countless resets he endured, this was still one of his worst memories. He wiped the sweat off his head.

"the kid was locked up in their room when their dad got home, and could hear the things their parents said, how they were a freak, how they couldn't handle the possibility of the baby being able to do the same thing" Sans was trembling slightly, Papyrus' eyes narrowing, he was not liking where this story was going.

"SANS..." he said when he saw how his brother was moving, his expressions, everything.

"w-well, the parents decided they just were not ready for such a responsibility to raise a kid with magic, so... the next day, their parents told them they were going to take them out of town to play somewhere different" Sans could see Papyrus looked at Sans, seeming to almost understand this wasn't something from a book.

"so the parents took their kids out somewhere cold... really cold, snowy even"

"SANS... I'M NOT LIKING WHERE THIS IS GOING" Papyrus managed to say, his voice getting more meek.

"and with an excuse of leaving something at home, the parents told the kid to watch his brother and that they'd be back" Sans wasn't using gender neutral terms anymore. Papyrus looked very uncomfortable, he wanted to tell Sans to stop, but seeing his brother and hearing his voice get weaker and weaker, made him compelled to sit through it.

"so he did, and he waited hours of the day, till it was nightfall... I sat there waiting for mom and dad to return..." Sans felt a pang of guilt course through his bones, tears in his eyes. He knew his brother was staring at him, the room was more tense now. Papyrus, he was speechless, unable to find words to say to his brother.

"but nobody came..." Sans' voice was small, meek, and riddled with guilt. He wiped his eyes with a sleeve, to dry the tears he had. He gave a soft, bitter chuckle.

"heh... sorry bro, i just... i never knew the right time to tell you... that i basically messed up our lives, all becau- FFF!" Sans let out an alarmed noise when his brother nearly knocked him over, hugging him tightly. He looked at his brother with surprise, arms almost dangling now. The heaving of shoulders told him Papyrus was crying now.

"O-Oh jeeze, paps... No, I'm sorry bro I didn't-

"YOU DID NOT RUIN OUR LIVES BROTHER! SOMEONE HAD COME, SOMEONE WHO CARED" Of course that was the pebble that broke the dam. Hugging him back, Sans let out a choked sob, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. He was worried Papyrus would be furious with him for keeping something like that secret. The two stayed in the embrace for what would feel like hours, until finally Papyrus broke it, wiping away stray tears.

"th-thanks bro... you really are the coolest bro a skeleton could have"

"I SURE AM, THOUGH SANS, WHAT WOULD BRING YOU TO ONLY NOW TELL ME THIS?" well, it wasn't an unwarranted question.

"well... how would you feel if you found out you're now a big brother...?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Chapter 2! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. If you're just now reading this or this the first of my fics you came across, this is a "What if" tie in to my Fanfic "How Gaster became Dadster" and it will contain Spoilers to that fic.


	3. Meeting After School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans introduces Papyrus to Arial.

Nervous, that's how Sans would describe it. Papyrus had initially reacted to his question with a scream, but to see his brother's emotions switching so rapidly was a sight to behold. One moment he was questioning it, to being excited, then upset. He promised Papyrus he would take him to the Capital today to meet the kid. He figured she would be at school, there was just some hope no one thought it as suspicious or warning.

"remember bro, you can't tell her what i told you about the whole sibling thing"

"OOOHHH, BUT IT'LL BE SO HARD NOT TO BROTHER" Papyrus whined with protest, arms crossed, almost stamping his feet.

"well, she doesn't know and i'd rather those two not be told, cause who knows how'd they would react to the kids they ditched talking to their sister" Sans replied with a shrug. Honestly, he wouldn't past those two to just forbid her from leaving the house or something stupid like that, but then again they seemed as mindful of her as they did with him when he was a tot. They could see the small school for monsters and how it seemed empty now, the kids all gone home. Sitting on the bench, Arial was bouncing up and down in her seat, waiting.

Papyrus waved an arm where she was sitting, as though asking if that was her, Sans nodded to his brother. Papyrus looked utterly giddy when he saw the little skeleton, like he would take off from the ground at moments' notice. Sans couldn't help but chuckle lightly at his brother's reaction. He took a few steps towards the bench.

"hey kid" Arial looked up at the familiar voice. She smiled when she saw it was Sans.

"Hi mister Sans!" she chirped, before she took notice of the taller brother, looking a little intimidated by him at first.

"Uhm..." she started off shyly, seeming to try and sink into her seat.

"don't worry kid, this is my bro papyrus" Sans waved his hand as he spoke, showing the taller skeleton meant no harm.

"Oh! Hi!" she greeted, seeming more comfortable now, but then Papyrus opened his mouth.

"GREETINGS TINY SKELETON" Arial shrank back, shaking a little at the sheer volume of his voice.

"sorry, shoulda warned you paps could be a little loud, but he's not screaming at you" Sans explained, Papyrus never could control that very well.

"O-Oh..." Arial seemed a little shaken up from it, Papyrus looking guilty now.

"SORRY, I CAN TRY AND TALK SOFTER" he said, adjusting his voice to the best of his extent. She offered him a weak smile.

"I-It's okay" She sat up, reaching for her phone.

"so... parents coming to get ya or what?" Sans asked when he saw her reading her phone.

"Uhm... Mama said on here they were going to a con...con..."

"conference?" Sans offered, she nodded.

"And won't come get me till 7" Papyrus blinked, it was only 2, was she supposed to just SIT here for 5 hours? He was starting to see why his brother had an immense disdain towards their birth parents and kept him in the dark about it. When he turned his head he could see Sans thinking, arms crossed.

"so, anyone gonna come let you stay with them or???"

"Nope, it was last minute! So I gotta wait here!" Sans gave a frown to that, but looked to Papyrus.

"hey bro, why don't you go take the kid to the playground? i wanna go see something"

"ALRIGHT BROTHER!" Papyrus seemed ecstatic, his brother going into the school. He held his hand out to Arial.

"COME, SURELY THERE IS SOMETHING YOU WOULD ENJOY TO PLAY" He said, but she began to giggle, taking his hand and followed him.

=====

Sans remembered this daycare and school very well, he had gone to it himself. It changed a little bit since he was here long ago, but the layout was still the same. So when he asked around, it was easy to find the Girl's teacher. He stood in the door way, waiting for her. It was a rabbit monster with glasses, wearing a long skirted dress. She noticed him waiting against the door.

"Oh... Can I help you Hon?" she asked him.

"Yeah, you don't mind me asking about one of your students, Arial Serif?" he asked. She looked at him suspiciously, eyes narrowing. He held a hand up to her.

"i figured i'd get that as a response, look, i'm asking because... well, is mrs. finnigin still working here?" he asked, seeing her look a little surprised.

"She's the school Principle" Sans nodded to that response.

"she here? she can tell you why i'm here" he stated.

"whazzthat sonny?" the two turned, seeing an old fish monster with a walking stick. Sans grinned at her.

"sup mrs. finnigin? still *swimming* i see"

"Sansy boy? That you deary??" the old monster adjusted her glasses.

"in the bones"

"What brings you here boyo?" she asked him.

"well, I wanted to ask about arial serif"

=======

"YOU SEE, THIS PUZZLE WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR ANY MERE MONSTER OR HUMAN TO SOLVE" Papyrus explained, having made a puzzle blue print with dirt and a stick. Arial looked at it curiously, as though she was trying to figure it out.

"Actually, if someone was to go here, then turn here, press this button, go back and then turn right, there's a button here, and then go around here" she was placing a few stones where she was talking about.

"See? they could get out that way!" she stated, finishing placing the rocks where they could see a path. Papyrus looked it over, almost wanting to scream with some kind of pride.

"SUCH A BRILLIANT MIND LIKE THE GREAT PAPYRUS" He exclaimed, picking her up and hugging her. Arial let out laughter, holding onto him, not even sure why he was so proud, but enjoyed that someone was proud of her. Papyrus was spinning around, just as Sans came to the playground. Finnigin and the Teacher watching Papyrus, a bead of sweat on their heads.

"yo paps" Sans called out to him. Stopping, Papyrus looked at Sans, Arial on his hip.

"The teacher and principle are gonna let us take the kid with us, and will give us a call after they deal with something" he explained, seeing his brother's eyes light up at this. Arial looked a little uncomfortable, not sure her parents would like it.

"they're gonna let your parents know they found someone to keep an eye on you until they come to get you" he told her, seeing her smile now.

"So it's like a sleepover?" she asked him, seeing Sans grin.

"you got it kiddo"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus would like her no matter what, but the joy he expresses that she knows how Puzzles so well for her age.  
> Just wait till he introduces her to Undyne

**Author's Note:**

> Arial is actually a character I doodled up, and while she's not initially SUPPOSED to be the bros' sister, I just thought this would be an interesting "What if" side story to my Families of the Underground series. So chances are, she won't show up in Gaster becomes Dadster fic.


End file.
